Annie Ruth Norris was born July 9, 1928 in Marshallville, GA to the late TJ Miller Sr. and Melissa Fish.

Ruth story starts like most stories. There was a woman called Melissa, beautiful in her day.  She was married to T.J. or Buddy as some folks call him.  Yep, they were the Millers.  Their lives were simple and happy.  And just as God had said, He blessed them, and they began to be fruitful and increase in number.  First, they had a preverbal first-born son.  T.J. Jr.  They were so proud.  Then as God would have it, the subject of our story today, they were blessed with a little girl.  What would be her name?  She was named after her best friend Ruth. Melissa named her Annie Ruth, but she was to be called Ruth, full of God’s mercy.

When she first moved to Akron, she was a member of St. Paul A.M.E., later she became a member of First Apostolic Faith Church.  She later began to assist her son with Mountain of the Lord Fellowship and was a long standing member.  She was also treasurer of the Ed Davis Senior Group and the Women’s Christmas Tea group.

There were other children born to this union of Millers. Sher was preceded in death by her brothers: T.J. Miller Jr, Willie Frank Miller, and David Miller Jones. She is survived by her sisters Dorothy (John) McCree and Nettie Miller. Sister-in-Laws LaVinnie Miller, Geneva Miller, Joan Jones.

Ruth was a lover of hats, she inherited that trait from her mother Melissa Fish who wore her blue dress and hat to church every Sunday, and Ruth continued this tradition throughout her days.  Ruth was also known for wearing her rings and one of her rings was a gold ring that she was given by her mother and was told never to sell the ring, she was to pass it down.  Some people missed it, but she lived passed their time to receive it.  The ring to this day continues to be passed down through the generations and will never be sold.

In 1949, Ruth migrated to the Akron Area.  Then in 1954 she married James Norris. To this union she brought hers, he brought his and together they had theirs. Ruth was preceded in death by her husband James Norris, James brought his son, James H. Norris who preceded them in death.  She will be remembered by the children they brought together Delores Martin, Marthann (Bruce) Parms, Joyce (Gerald) Hilton, Jonathan Joseph, and their children they had together Patricia (Henry) Brown, Eugene (Vanessa) Norris and Euna D. Tolbert.

Also, into their home they had a welcome addition grandson Bernard Norris. They had a special niece Arelia Henry, and later special daughter Debbie (Arthur) Douglas.

Ruth said she did not physically keep her grandchildren, but she did keep count.  She had 22 grandchildren, 63 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren; and she kept all their pictures on her wall, so she could see them every day.